Coronavirus: flu deaths plummet during pandemic

There has been a huge drop in flu related deaths, prompting health experts to urge Australians to heed the lessons learnt during the COVID crisis.

The number of flu related deaths have plummeted amid the COVID-19 crisis. Picture: istock

The number of flu-related deaths have plummeted amid the COVID-19 crisis, as Australia emerges from one of its mildest flu seasons on record.

Department of Health data showed just 36 influenza associated deaths were registered across the country to October, compared to the 943 in the same period last year.

The data also showed Australia had recorded a staggering drop in confirmed flu cases, with the annual figure falling from more than 300,000 cases last year to a meagre 21,215.

Australian Medical Association federal president Omar Khorshid said the lower number of flu cases was due to border ­closures, reduced social interactions, better hygiene and higher levels of influenza vaccination.

“We were on track for a normal flu season or potentially a ­severe season until the COVID restrictions were implemented,” Dr Khorshid said.

“I suspect that the international border closure would be the biggest single factor behind the decrease as this has limited the chance of new strains of virus to enter the country.”

According to the World Health Organisation influenza activity remained at lower levels globally, despite continued or even increased levels of testing due to the pandemic.

Coronavirus cases in Australia reached their highest during the winter months, as the second wave in Victoria saw daily numbers soar above 700. The state’s caseload peaked on August 11 with 7880 infections after hotel quarantine breaches and overarching failures in the state’s contact tracing system.

Nationally, the COVID-19 mortality rate has reached 907, only 36 less than the number of flu-related deaths recorded during the flu season last year.

Experts claim the call to get flu vaccinations earlier combined with nationwide social-distancing measures drastically helped the decline in cases.

“There was a big push for Australians to be vaccinated early against influenza at the start of the pandemic and I understand that this has led to a record number of Australians being vaccinated against influenza,” Dr Khorshid said.

He said it was likely that this contributed to the record low number of influenza cases this year. “It is important that we build on this number and try and keep influenza cases under control next year and beyond,” he said.

More than 17.6 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccines were released to the Australian market, compared to the 13.2 million in 2019 and 11 million the year before.

“Further, from 1 March to 30 September 2020, 9,307,897 doses of seasonal influenza vaccines were administered and ­entered in the Australian Immunisation Register,” a spokesman from the federal Department of Health said. “This compares to 7,294,075 doses in 2019 and 5,109,382 doses in 2018.”

Dr Khorshid said the trend of low flu cases and deaths would unlikely continue once the COVID-19 pandemic was over unless we continued to use the hygiene rules implemented during the crisis.

“If we learn the lessons of high vaccination rates, improved ­hygiene and a level of social distancing, including wearing masks in public when unwell and not ­attending work unwell, we could see a lasting improvement in influenza rates and deaths,” he said.